BMW 520D coolant

shnaek

Hi all,

Got the coolant light warning on my 2012 520D today, called into a parts shop and they sold me this:

https://www.clarkesofcavan.ie/product/antifreeze-4.5lit-blue (it wasn't Clarkes, but it was this coolant)

They said this was perfect for my 5 series and it didn't need to be mixed with water, just put it straight in.

But now that I'm home and looking stuff up online and google is saying it does need to be mixed with water and it the coolant should be flushed before use.

What's the advice from the experts here?

Thanks!

wandererz

What does the label say?

Does it mention "pre-diluted" or whether it requires mixing in a particular ratio?

shnaek

It doesn't mention anything, other than concentration protection

wandererz

Get a pre-diluted anti-freeze / coolant.

There are loads of other brands out there that provide you with the basic information.

This is probably good for a tractor under certain circumstances.

Even Halfords or Woodies provide decent options.

No need to drain. If the warning message has come on then first priority is to top up rather than drain and refill.

Would not use it on my 320D.

shnaek

Thanks, Wandererz. The funny thing is I specifically went to a parts place thinking it would be better than Woodies and when he said I didn't need to dilute it alarm bells were ringing. But like you said the warning message was up and it took about a litre of that coolant. I won't put any more in.

mk7r

The coolant will be fine, what you need to worry about is where is it going?

The coolant should never need to be topped up so it must be leaking from somewhere.

wandererz

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195561#Comment_121195561

Agree with this.

shnaek

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121195561#Comment_121195561

I was worried that might be the case.